


Britain's Villainess

by CappuCafe



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CappuCafe/pseuds/CappuCafe
Summary: The Duchess was known to like watching street fights more than drinking tea with other ladies. But behind her iron-clad personality is a raging urgency to prove herself to the queen so she can keep her title and position. After all, women weren't allowed their own land or title. Can Camellia overcome societal boundaries? Or will she too, become a tamed trophy wife?
Relationships: Charles Grey (Kuroshitsuji)/Original Female Character(s), Sebastian Michaelis/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

A lady with tanned skin stood in the center of Viscount Druitt’s mansion, attending the first ball of the Season. One glance and even a lowly servant would recognize that she was an elite socialite, easily charming both the men and women at the party. The duchess emitted both an elegant yet seductive aura, but also charisma that it was hard to find faults within her. Her mother had taught her that a lady’s battlefield was reliant on a lady’s wits, eloquence and temperance - poised enough to seem unaffected by snide remarks, eloquent to deliver a hidden attack behind literal words, but not foolish enough to smile and take in all the rumours. Although Duchess Camellia Diose could care less about the rumours. She would simply be a fool to react to rumours that couldn’t even be said to her face. 

“Your Grace, I’m absolutely delighted to see you at the party tonight. It seems as if recently, it’s impossible to even have tea with you.” One lady fanned herself. 

“Have you been busy with your own fashion design and boutiques? I heard that you continue to create new trends everytime a new collection comes out. You must give me advice sometime!” 

“Of course, I’ll be hosting some of my own events soon. I hope you will all come.” Camellia smiled, her amethyst eyes glittering. The ladies giggled to themselves, somewhat gaining a boost of pride from a simple acknowledgement from her. One of the gentlemen in their company cleared his throat as he nervously asked what all of the aristocrats, nay, all of the United Kingdom was curious about.

“Your Grace, please forgive me if this may sound rude, but have you found a suitor yet?”

Camellia hid the disgust and boredom of a topic she had been pestered about nonstop. Usually, if it was a gentleman who was trying to court her at her mansion, she could care less about trying to keep her image and would openly kick him in the balls if he was too persistent before tossing him out like an used tissue. But with the numerous eyes in at the party, it was hard to do that. She forced herself to keep the fake smile she had on and replied courteously. “Not yet.”

As if her prayers of wanting the conversation to end, Viscount Druitt made his way to the group and offered her a cup of champagne. He winked at the ladies and gentlemen in the group before asking to borrow the duchess’s time. He led her away to the table with a champagne tower because he noticed that she had already drained the champagne. 

“I’m honoured that your grace has  _ graced _ us with your shining presence at my humble mansion.” 

“...I think you can stop with your ridiculous puns, Viscount.” Camellia dropped her facade and wore her genuine attitude instead. Although she and the Viscount weren’t friends, he had been one of the first aristocrats she had encountered when she debuted. She was, in fact, aware that he didn’t have the cleanest hands but didn’t bother with it because the Queen herself showed no concern. She had shut his business down twice, but only because he happened to be in the way. Needless to say, he easily continued his business. Besides, Aleister was useful because she needed connections to the underworld. Although the Diose Manor had well trained and skilled butlers serving the duchess and training her, she didn’t have the same blinding sense of justice the Midford family did. Of course, both houses were in a decent relationship with one another but Camellia’s goals couldn’t be achieved with hands that aren’t soiled. 

The reason why Camellia Diose assumed the title of duchess was due to one of the many rumours and gossip that floated around her. Her mother, originally a low ranked baron’s daughter, married the archduke. Unknowingly why, maybe she couldn’t bear the insults of her not being suitable to marry her father, her mother went senile and murdered her husband before trying to attack Camellia. She then fled the scene when the butlers of House Diose appeared. When everyone expected the fall of the House Diose and the disappearance of a frail girl, her aunt, Queen Victoria, helped Camellia and the girl appeared at her debutante ball at the age of 16. Now, Camellia is trying to find her missing mother, question her, then execute her. She’s almost certain that her mother was able to hide in the tangled networks of the Underworld. 

“Well, your grace, your words continue to pierce my heart. Although your words are cold like ice, it makes me feel as if I returned to my adolescent self-”

“Alright, Aleister Chamber. You can leave me alone and humour your flock of baby birds.” She sighed, dismissing him. The viscount smiled before doing as she said and she stepped off to the side. She could guess why Aleister pulled her out of the side. Normally he would annoy her until she would motion one of her loyal butlers to press their sword to his neck. The only times he didn’t annoy her was because he didn’t want her to stay in his way, meaning that the man was probably going to do something shady. But what attracted her attention were two guests at the party, rather than the host himself. One was a girl of a small stature in a pink dress that was one of her designs, and a man who she assumed was her tutor. They were busy eyeing the Viscount although it seemed that the tutor noticed she was glancing their way and smiled. The pair immediately stopped openly stalking the viscount and blended into the crowd as guests. 

Soon, music began to play and everyone began to dance. Seeing the approaching bachelors of the party, Camellia roughly grabbed a butler hiding in the shadows and dragged him to the dance floor. “Do me a favour, Felix.”

The butler simply sighed and did as his master ordered. They danced until the first song ended and she held back her laughter from watching her butler sway and go back to his hiding spot, clearly exhausted from dancing. Her source of amusement was immediately transferred to the Viscount who was talking with the girl in a pink dress from before. She cocked her head, wondering why the face was so familiar, certain that she didn’t see the girl as a customer to her boutique before. Before she could continue to stare at the pair curiously, her view was blocked by the tutor who was with the girl before. He smiled at her and offered his hand. “May I ask for you to be my partner for the next dance, duchess?”

“...Sure.” Camellia accepted his offer and waltzed with him for the second dance. His smile unnerved her as she felt it to be extremely superficial. Perhaps it was because she herself was someone who was talented at masking her true motives, she could almost tell right away that he was hiding something. “I don’t believe I know your name sir…?”

“Just Sebastian is fine. I’m a lowly country baron’s child so you might not have seen before.”

Camellia couldn’t hide the smirk on her face. He was lying about his position and she was almost certain that he chose his position because of her background. 

“From one  _ lowly baron’s child _ to another.” She then tightened her grip as her eyes hardened with a cold and menacing look, while retaining her smile. “I’m surprised that there is someone who is brazen enough to pick a fight with me so upfront. So, what is the Earl doing dressed like a female and seducing the Viscount- ah, Jack the Ripper? Then would you be the rumoured butler who had stuck to his side since he miraculously returned? Though it appears you lack manners.” Camellia had recognized the young earl’s face from appointments with the queen. The queen had constantly brought up the boy, seemingly proud of the work he accomplished. She brought him up so much that Camellia could almost pinpoint when the queen would bring him up in a conversation again.

“I didn’t mean to insult you, my lady.” Sebastian chuckled as they twirled while Camellia noticing both the Viscount and Ciel had disappeared. “I had to ensure a smooth investigation, I hope you would understand me- as one house loyal to the queen and the other.”

The song ended and they bowed and curtsied to each other. “Very well. I hope you don’t think you can insult the duchess in the future, however.”

“Of course.”

The pair immediately separated and Camellia glanced at her maid, Wendeline. The maid had patiently stood off to the said, waiting for her master to finish socializing. She pulled out a cloak and draped it over her master’s shoulders. “You’re already leaving, your grace?”

“The party is ending anyways. I don’t like squeezing through entrances and exits with a crowd.” Camellia shrugged as her butlers, who were dispatched around the Viscount’s territory, gathered together. Felix helped both Camellia and Wendeline up the cage before frowning in concern. 

“What should we do with that tutor? He seemed rather impudent.”

Camellia raised her hand to her chin, contemplating. She shook her head. “No. Maybe this is just baseless intuition, but he has a dangerous vibe. Similar to Jac-” Her sentence was interrupted by Wendeline who clutched the skirt of her dress angrily. 

“My lady, excuse my rudeness, but a being as brilliant as yours shouldn’t say such a cursed name.” 

Felix’s eyes also glittered darkly, knowing fully well what both his master and the maid meant. He clutched the grip of his sword and drew it slightly, revealing the silver shine of his blade. “Then, it’d be better if we eliminated him as soon as possible-”

“I’m not underestimating the butlers, Felix. But it’s better to be cautious. Now, let’s go home.” Camellia closed her eyes and everyone else answered to her obediently. “Yes, your grace.”


	2. Chapter 2

_ A little over a week went by and Camellia had been getting darker eyebags by each passing day. She had been unable to sleep peacefully after the party and it was because of haunting dreams she had been having. She would always end up in a chair which was in the middle of an endless sky. The sky would then crack and fall apart, which leaves her to sit in the middle of a void. Immediately, a man would materialize. His face was gorgeous and his bronze hair would glow slightly. He had red eyes and a mischievous grin was carved into his face.  _

_ “Hello Camellia.” He grinned as he took a step closer. Camellia would inhale deeply before calmly demanding: “Stay out of my dream, Jacques.” _

_ "I'm not real, you're just imagining it. Memories create a living space for everything, including unwanted and dead people." Jacques laughed and walked towards her. "I died. For you. Remember?" He lifted a strand of her curls to his lips.  _

_ "And I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you again. We’ve been over this. What do you want me to do, apologize and not mean it? Men are so difficult." Camellia tried moving, but she couldn’t. She gave up resisting and allowed the routinely nightmare to happen again. _

_ "..." Jacques frowned and reached for her throat, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I lost my life for you, even when you rejected me, even though I told you EVERYTHING humans would never know. I offered you power and intelligence. Yet you didn’t hesitate to get rid of me. Your soul, your life, your radiance-I lost everything because of that. That's why, I want your soul." He whispered into her ear. _

_ "So you wanted to haunt me as an illusion." Camellia stared at him with expressionless eyes and lifted her knee, kicking him in the stomach. Jacques scratched his stomach, seemingly amused that the kick couldn’t do any actual harm. He then dropped his smile and titled his head, his expression undecipherable. “I’m just a dream remember? Besides,” He paused then smirked: "I won't be gone, and you know that. Hehe...things are changing Camellia, you should have accepted my help back then. Now, I’ll be only after devouring your soul." _

__

_ He began to dissipate as Camellia began to fall . She reached a hand upwards, praying that God will help her. She then heard laughter inside her and she lowered her hand. Who was she kidding? The only place for her now is Hell.  _

And then she woke up. Wendeline was shaking her and let go when she noticed Camellia restless sleep. 

__ "Miss?" 

Camellia got up, groaning as she rubbed her eyes. Wendeline placed the breakfast tray on Camellia's lap and set the breakfast.

"Lately you have been groaning a lot in your sleep. Are you okay?"

"..." Camellia sipped her rose tea. Wendeline watched her intensely, waiting for an answer. 

"Wendy, do you remember Jacques?" Camellia sighed, running her fingers through her messy hair. Immediately, Wendeline’s face darkened with disgust and anger. “How could I forget, miss? That man brought shame upon the Diose household before he got murdered. Why?"

Camellia forked the strawberry cheesecake and put it into her mouth. "Hmm. Nothing, I just have occasional dreams with him in it."

“That’s no good, my lady! Such a filthy being shouldn’t even be in the remnants of your memory. For you to even dream of him-”

“Wendy calm down. More importantly, can you help me dress up and then I’ll have to head to the office to talk to Felix and Tyrell.” Camellia sets down her cutlery as her maid nodded and whistled for the other maids to come in. One of them had the identical appearance to Felix and she was in fact his twin sister. Second to Wendeline, Felicity was the Head Housemaid but also the secondary Lady’s Maid. While Felicity efficiently organized and dressed Camellia up, Wendeline reported something additional: “My Lady, Earl Charles Grey is here. He is currently staying in the Crystal Room.”

“You mean Chihuahua?” Camellia licted her arms, allowing the maids to slip her into the dress before placing it at the back. Wendeline smiled tiredly. “My lady, you have to be more mindful of your language.”

“Who cares, it’s just Charles the second. Oh well, let’s go greet him.” Camellia sighed after the maids finished dressing her. She stepped out of her room, where a butler bowed after, evidently, a night of guarding her door. All the butlers and voluntary maids in the Diose household were trained as knights. Camellia had mentioned she liked having muscular men and capable subordinates. She paused and then asked in confusion: “I thought I made it quite clear a while back that I don’t need the Diose servants to guard my room at night as long as they are available for standby. So, why are you here?”

“To answer Your Grace, Sir Felix ordered that we guard your Grace because a suspicious individual came in contact with you last night. He would’ve come to guard you but the Commander ordered him to rest and I’ve volunteered to take his place!” 

“...Okay, I don’t have time for this right now. I’ll be heading to the lounge room to greet our guest before heading to my office. I’ll deal with this later.” Camellia rubbed her temples before the butler saluted and trailed after her, next to Felicity. Wendeline was ordered to swap with Felicity for a break and had left to order the other maids to start cleaning the mansion. As Camellia entered the lounge room, she met the eyes of Charles Grey. The man glanced at his watch and stood up with a deep bow before smiling.

“Your Grace! I hope you had a peaceful sleep, which I assume you did! While you were sleeping in, I enjoyed some pleasant tea for fifteen minutes.” His feigned politeness translated to:  _ You bitch, you made me wait for fifteen minutes, lazy ass hoe. _

Understanding the message, the duchess played along. She rested her face in her palm and pretended to act weak and frail. “Earl Grey! In actuality, I didn’t sleep too well. I was planning on resting for a bit more as you can see that my complexion isn’t at it’s best, which I am ashamed for you to see. However, once I heard that a guest arrived so suddenly, I had to greet them. After all, uninvited or not, everyone is a guest.” Translation:  _ I’m not apologizing and besides, you showed up uninvited. What did you want me to do? Turn back time so I can greet you on time?  _

Charles dropped his facade and flopped down onto the white couch with a tired and annoyed look. The Crystal Room of the duchess’ estate was a room that was adorned with only white and translucent decor, making the whole room glisten in faint specks of rainbow. Only the duchess’s closest acquaintances and members of the royal family were allowed into the room. While Charles Grey and Camellia were on familiar terms with each other, she felt a slight irritation at how  _ at home _ he felt. Especially since his colour palette blended in so well with the rest of the room. 

“Hey. Jack the Ripper incident, the Queen wanted to know if you could get it done by tonight? I heard that Earl Phantomhive was on the move but Her Majesty really doesn’t want to delay this any further. It’s no problem for Your Grace, right?”

“Ha, is that what you wanted to say after coming all the way here? If I knew you’d be wasting my time like this, you would be answering to me in the common room.” Camellia waved Felicity over and whispered something to her ear. The maid smiled and bowed knowingly, before dashing off. Camellia sat down on the couch across from him and rested her head on the back of her hand. “Don’t worry, if the Earl cannot act on it tonight, then I will.” 

“Good. I’m sure Her Majesty will be pleased. Now, while we push that topic away momentarily, why do you look so ugly today? Your eyes are so swollen they look like golf balls had been implanted.” 

“Shut up, Chihuahua. I already told you that I haven’t slept well.” Camellia flipped him off. There was a brief pause before Charles unsheathed his sword and lunged at her, to which Camellia grabbed her own sword, which she always carried with her except for social events where they were carried by her butlers. The butler behind her gasped and drew his own sword, stepping in front of Camellia, and pointing it at Charles. The duchess simply shook her head. “Luke right? The newly appointed butler? Don’t bother, you aren’t a match for Charles.” 

“Ho, your reflexes haven’t dulled. I’m glad to see that, it would’ve been problematic and embarrassing if you had died during your engagement with Jack the Ripper.” Charles sheathed his sword. Camellia rolled her eyes, unamused by the small prank he pulled, while Felicity came in and brought some documents that the duchess was supposed to review in the office. Felicity had also brought in some tea for both her master and the guest before standing behind the lady. Camellia scanned the documents as she took a sip before tossing them to Charles.

“You just need this to end tonight, right?”

“Yes, as Her Majesty wishes.”

“Alright. Jack the Ripper, no, Madame Red will be put to a stop tonight.”

* * *

  
  
  


“What’s going on?” Camellia hopped side to side, attempting to keep herself warm while Felix scanned the area with his binoculars. The butler had beads of sweat trickle down from nervousness and shock before handing it to her. “...Your Grace should see this for yourself.” 

Camellia picked up the binoculars and looked through it. Currently, it was very late at night and a handful of the Diose butlers, including Camellia, were stationed outside of the next victim’s house, ready to attack. However, when they had gotten there, the Earl was already engaged in a conversation with Jack the Ripper. They had decided to idly standby, as Camellia’s task was to ensure that the murderer was put to a stop. There were no specifications of whether she would be the one to do it or the Earl. But not too long ago, there were loud crashes and a fight seemed to begin. While the Earl faced off with his aunt-such an unfortunate fate- Sebastian was occupied with a butler dressed in red. The butler held a chainsaw and swung it at Sebastian viciously, only when he stopped did Camellia recognize characterically unique green eyes.

“Good heavens, I never thought I’d see one again.” She mumbled to herself. She returned the binoculars and stood up, shrugging off the heavy cloak. 

“Felix. Get the other butlers and valets back but stay on standby. I’ll signal you if I need you.” The boy bowed obediently and shrinked backwards. Camellia looked up, waiting for Grell to have her entire body be turned away from Camellia in a defenseless manner before heaving herself up with abandoned crates, through broken window sills, and crawled into the building as she continued to carefully monitor the scene. She then noticed, while Madame Red collapsed with fear and confliction, that the grim reaper was looking suspiciously towards the Earl’s aunt and Camellia quickly tried opening the windows. The rigid window frame soon gave way and she measured the distance between her and the reaper, briefly, before dashing out. She aimed her sword towards the reaper’s skull while the reaper aimed for Madame Red’s chest. Moments before she could reach him, Grell struggled to turn to her side and shrieked, dodging by the last minute while missing Madame Red. 

“Who are you to conduct such boorish acts on a fair maiden like I, and get in my way?!” Grell vented her stress, combing his hair anxiously with his fingers carefully before tossing it over his shoulder. She scowled, scanning Camellia up and down before hissing: “Seriously, who are you?" 

“No fair maiden in London wouldn’t be aware of the rumours of a brutish woman haunting the alleys where prostitutes live. Unless, of course, you’re a Grim Reaper, which you are. I’m only kidding though, partially. But really, I shouldn’t be the one doing this, should I?” Camellia turned her head, checking both Madame Red and Ciel briefly. She then caught Sebastian’s surprised stare before forcing a pleasant smile. “What is a useless mutt like you doing, struggling to follow your master’s orders and almost allowing Jack the Ripper escape?"

“It looks like I have inconvenienced you once again, embarrassingly. Please forgive me, your highness.” Sebastian lowered his eyes, slightly ashamed. Ciel stared at Camellia, playing Sebastian’s words in his head.  _ Her Highness? _

"Sebas-chan, do you know this sensible-yet-brutish woman? Don't you prefer a more beautiful and perfect woman like I?" Grell allowed conflicting words to escape her mouth since she was pleased to be addressed as a trendy woman, but also angered that Camellia was somehow acquainted with Sebastian and had tried to attack her.

Sebastian shuddered from goosebumps. "I do not have such disgusting taste." 

Grell tilted his head, grinning. "Well that is too bad, Sebas-chan. Because you are going to be destroyed tonight!" His eyes gleamed sadistically. He aimed the chainsaw at Sebastian only to have it thrust downwards. Camellia smiled at Grell’s puzzled face while she had used her sword to carefully allow the chainsaw to glide and steer into a different direction. 

“Am I uninvited to the party?” 

Enraged at her taunts, Grell screamed:"What is an unladylike woman like you doing at the side of my Sebas-chan?!" He regained his momentum and swung his chainsaw towards Camellia. The Duchess dodged, and as she kept the reaper busy, Ciel snapped out of his confusion and grabbed the knife Madame Red had failed to stab him with, preventing any dangerous actions from Madame Red. “This is an order, Sebastian. Capture Jack the Ripper and protect Her Highness!”

The eyepatch over his right eye fell, revealing the purple contract with Sebastian. Sebastian grinned and took off his gloves, the back of his hand displaying a matching contract. The demon bowed before kicking Grell in the face. “As you wish.”

Camellia winced slightly as he watched the reaper’s cheeks swell up increasingly and inhumanely. Of course, she wasn’t as bewildered as the victim himself.

"Wh-what are you doing? Do you not know that it is a crime to damage a lady's face?!" Grell cradled his cheek, sobbing and whining.

"If you cared so much about laws and crimes, you would care about the human souls that you weren’t supposed to collect." Camellia sheathed her sword.

“How did you-?”

“Isn’t it also a crime to ask a lady to reveal her secrets? Please punish me if I am incorrect, your Highness.” Sebastian smiled at Camellia, to which she shrugged. “You’re not wrong but don’t be smug, you still haven’t completed your lord’s bidding.” Sebastian walked forward to the wriggling death god, and picked up his chainsaw.

"A Death Scythe can cut through anything am I correct? So it can cut a Death God too." He mused as he lifted the weapon. He was prepared to swing and slice the redhead in half but was prompted to stop by another party.

"Wait." 

A man, more precisely another Death God, leapt down from the sky. Grell swooned, gushing at how she was being saved but the other reaper stomped on the back of his head. He bowed. "I apologize for the trouble this idiot had caused you."I will now take him back to be punished. Tsk, I never thought I would bow to a demon." He adjusted his glasses, not hiding the disgust in his eyes, before noticing Camellia. The woman nodded in greeting, before speaking out.

“May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Have you seen the records of Jacques?”

“Who’s that?”

“Don’t feign innocence, I know you know. Out with it.” Camellia rolled her eyes. William pushed his glasses upwards, seemingly debating on what to say inwardly before replying: 

“We’ve never seen them, nor have we collected them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”

William then proceeded to drag Grell away by her collar. Sebastian grinned, devilishly, and threw the chainsaw towards William, who caught it with two fingers. He looked back, daring Sebastian to come up with an excuse. 

"You forgot that."

"Thank you."

Camellia folded her arms across her chest, pondering silently to herself. As Sebastian helped prop up Madame Red, Ciel dusted himself and bowed to Camellia. “Your Grace, I am ashamed to have presented myself like this especially since this is our first time meeting. I am also deeply in debt to what you have done tonight. Allow me to make this up to you somehow.”

Camellia smiled, amused. Ciel did not know that she had seen and recognized him dressed as a rather adorable young lady at the Viscount’s party. For the sake of his current emotional state, she decided to keep the secret hidden. “Don’t worry about it, Earl. Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, had requested me to aid you.”

“Does her Majesty not trust me?” Ciel looked up, his pride - though he tried to hide it- was hurt.

“No, she does. She has talked so fondly of you so much that my ears feel like they would bleed out.”

“What will happen to my Madame Red, no, Jack the Reaper?” 

“The Queen requested for me to take in or rid of the offender. She would be punished by hanging, otherwise lifetime imprisonment.” Camellia whistled three specific notes, to which Wendy appeared with both Felix and Felicity, who were carrying a large bag. They carefully set it to the ground and Felix unzipped it, revealing a corpse. 

“Let go of her Sebastian.” Camellia watched Madame Red fall to her knees, confused by the dead corpse, but no fear or any other reactions. Sebastian looked at her with curiosity, wondering what she would do next.

“Your Grace what-” Ciel began but Camellia raised her hand, shushing him. “Camellia or Lady Camellia is fine. No need to be so strict with honorifics. Now then, Madame Red. Here is a body of three days old. Felix here had stabbed him to death-not for fun haha- but because he is actually a convicted rapist. I want you to examine his body, see if there’s anything notable. After all, I am not a doctor.” Camellia waved Wendeline over, who presented a set of medical instruments to Madame Red. The woman swallowed, hesitant, but still did as she was told. Camellia studied how steady her hands were and how sure of herself, Madame Red was. When she was done, she turned to Camellia. To Camellia’s excitement, there was an uncertainty in Madame Red’s eyes. 

“You look like you have something to say. What is it?”

“Well...first of all, the body is five days old. Although you masked the odour, the embalming is a, apologies to my rudeness Your Grace, messy weak attempt of what the Egyptians had done centuries ago. The body is too dry. His cause of death is not stabbing, but respiratory and organ failure. Might be from ingesting something like ricin. I’d have to have it tested to know for sure what it is, but that’s all I can tell you. In terms of hiding anything else, there is none.” 

Camellia grinned, pleased. “Here is my decree: Jack the Ripper had been put to an end here tonight. Madame Red was manipulated and will be imprisoned and working for the Diose household. ”

“Are you sure that’s okay? I mean, what I did was-” 

“Unforgivable. But I can reassure you no one here has a clean record - especially in the Diose household. I’m not justifying what you did, you still will be imprisoned as well as considered for capital punishment. They will interrogate you. If they decide what you’ve done doesn’t need capital punishment, you will be imprisoned for quite a while. But once the paperworks work out well, you will be working with me and performing all kinds of medical miracles for me. Some nasty bastards are very skilled with handling poison and the likes. I need a skilled medical expert on my team. So what do we say?”

“I accept.”

“Earl Phantomhive?” Camellia faced Ciel and Sebastian.

“...I suppose having her hanged will be a shame for the medical industry.” Ciel grunted. 

“I’ll see you in court.”


	3. Chapter 3

“You look exhausted, Your Grace.” Madame Red struggled to get up and curtsy, but Camellia waved her hand, allowing the woman to skip such greetings. Ciel’s aunt was now held in the prison of court and waiting for her trial. She herself was in an even worse condition than Camellia, who only went through a few sleepless nights to build a case and defense for the woman. The food she was fed was nothing more than plain porridge in an extremely small portion. The cellars were cold and moldy from the damp air, not escaping from Britain’s cold rainy days. 

“You’re one to speak.”

“I’m ashamed to have appeared before you in both our first and now, our second encounter in such horrible forms.”

“If I cared so much, I wouldn’t have come here myself. Anyways, I came down to tell you about what to expect, or more precisely, what not to expect. I don’t want to give you false hope nor do I want to give you the wrong idea about me. First of all, you are still a criminal, whether you were manipulated or not. Therefore, the chance of you not leaving the prison alive is very likely and I don’t plan on saving you if I don’t see the point. And I won’t deny any evidence that they present. I’m saving you simply for the benefits for the dukedom and the empire, but that doesn’t mean we are going to ignore your sins. Honestly, it would be a stretch for me to defend you since Jack’s body isn’t discovered and we only have a victim of his manipulation, which is you. Secondly, stay silent unless you are forced to talk. Lastly, how good are you at acting?”

“Good enough to get away with being both a doctor and a serial killer.” Madame Red smiled while somehow not looking happy at all. She seemed to have repented somehow on her actions but Camellia felt like she didn’t entirely regret her choices. 

“Madame Red, no, Angelina. I had an abortion that I didn’t regret, do you plan on killing me as well?” Camellia crossed her arms, looking at the imprisoned women without the slightest bit of remorse. Angelina looked up, an evident look of horror overcoming her tired face. 

“Why? Isn’t it a blessing to have a child? I can’t even have one of my own and yet all of you just throw away such a precious life when I cannot-”

“There are many reasons. You should be aware of it. Unwanted and unwilling pregnancy that are results of a life threatening affair, assault, etc. And there are the living conditions a parent has to consider. Can they afford to feed an additional mouth, will their children live a healthy life, will their children even be guaranteed a life? Will they be subjected to slander that was the parents fault, will they fit in with society? Wouldn’t you say an abortion is much more merciful to both the child and the parent? A whore’s child cannot live a happy life if the whore herself does not choose to take care of it. Besides, what good will carving out the womb of another do for you? You can’t have any more children no matter what you do. You’re just chasing a fleeting dream for an ugly purpose of making yourself feeling better.” 

Camellia crouched down, a hint of mockery in her tone as she cocked her head to stare into Angelina’s eyes. “Such a shame, you’re chasing what you can’t have when you have potential to do much more for both yourself and the young Earl. You are both only what the other has. Instead of taking something that you can’t have, why not just adopt children? There are many cruel parents who abandoned children with nothing to survive on, wouldn’t it be more sensible to give happiness to them?”

As if mentioning Ciel was a divine call, Angelina lost her anger and began to contemplate her words. Still slightly wary, she looked at Camellia. “If you don’t mind me asking, Your Grace, why did you have an abortion? You are the opposite of what you mentioned. You have the living conditions and power that can provide for your child.”

“I lied. I didn’t have an abortion. Although if I did get pregnant, I would still get an abortion. As you know, I am not married and I don’t plan on doing so for a while. Bringing a child to this world would be troublesome for both of us - I would be tied down by a husband or a one time fling. Although that is highly unlikely and instead I would have to marry someone with actual prestige, thus my child would forever be remembered as illegitimate and ‘dirty’.” Camellia stood up, offering an apologetic look. Madame Red blinked before chuckling softly as she realized she was being tested. 

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

  
  
  


“Good morning, Your Highness, Duchess Camellia Rochelle Diose.” Ciel kissed the back of Camellia’s gloved hands gently as they met in front of the court. 

“Shall we get going?” Camellia smiled. The guards at the court bowed deeply, greeting her, before opening the doors. The group bustled towards their seat, the most visible part of the court. Ciel rested his arms on the armrest and scanned the court, which was starting to fill up. Wendeline, Felicity, and Felix were all surprised that Camellia was heading to court rather on time instead of going late like she did for any gatherings. Ciel turned towards Sebastian, asking his butler: “Who’s the prosecuting team?”

“Count Kelly…” Sebastian began.

“A man who’s supposed wife is now one of my ladies in waiting.” Camellia added.   
  


“Baron Tunker…”

“A man whose company went bankrupt shortly after I withdrew my father’s investments in him.”

“Doctor Hammer…”

“He still clings onto that title? He’s a misogynistic man working at one of the hospitals I had tried to sponsor but he refuted because I was a woman and then the director stripped his job from him after hearing what had happened.”

“And men who had been rejected by Her Highness.” Sebastian finished, seeing that Ciel got the hint.

“You have quite a lot of enemies, your Grace.” A bead of sweat dripped down Ciel’s temple, not sure of how the court will continue

“Only the idiots of idiots. They’re underestimating my power.” Camellia stretched her hands to admire the jewellery adorning her hand. A tanzanite ring with the insignia of the Dukedom and a gold ring with the royal family’s seal branded on it. She was purposely flaunting her authority, which Felix sighed to himself inwardly.  _ She says she doesn’t like to abuse her authority but when it comes down to intimidation, she uses it like she’s polishing a butcher knife in front of livestock _ . Moments later, the trial began. 

“Your Honour, Baroness Angelina Dalles-Burnett was acquainted with and performed the deeds that Jack the Ripper had persuaded her to do. Even if she was a victim of manipulation, she was still an accomplice. Additionally, there have been investigations done on the victims’ bodies and they are all expertly carved up, suggesting the handiwork of a doctor, though it may have been impossible for a woman to do so, but she could have given access to medical instruments that her hospital provided to cover his tracks. Additionally, all of these women are her patients and share similar traits - they were prostitutes. She could have killed them out of envy as, you know, females aren’t emotionally rational, and she was possibly romantically involved with Jack the Ripper…”

As the opposing side babbled, Camellia hid her grin as she watched Ciel’s and Sebastian’s unamused but also intrigued expressions. The whole lot at the prosecutors side were indeed, idiots or idiots. But it made sense, no intelligent people nor idiots would try to cross the Duchess or doubt her judgment. In fact some have decided to show up to trial to express their support and empathy “for the poor widowed baroness” to expect some favour from her. While there are those who oppose her for still clinging onto the title of the Duchess without marrying, this wasn’t a case of their interest or interference. To them, this wasn’t the right stage to drag down the Duchess.

“Everything they say is contradictory and baseless. Is this why you were so confident, Your Grace?”

“Those who strongly oppose me won’t bother with this. There’s not enough evidence and they cannot get away with accusing me of fabricating and coveting a killer. Additionally, they won’t think that I’m joining one of the courts because it has political advantage but because I simply want to offer support to pitiable women. There’s a bonus to acting like you are simple and rash because it offers a bit of freedom. Think of that as life advice from someone who has lived longer in modern society than you have.” Camellia stood up, ready to present her case. She cleared her throat, allowing all the eyes in the room settle on her glowing figure. Today she wore practical clothes that weren’t flamboyant so people know that she understands it is a serious setting and not a party. The fabric she chose glistened in the artificial light perfectly and the jewels she had carefully chosen refracted a ray of light on the white interior of the court, fanning out and exerting her dominance. She could sense how everyone sucked in their breath, not daring to make a noise in her presence. At this moment, she would have smiled in a taunting manner but because this is a somber scenario, she relinquished a moment of triumph for a more satisfying one.

“Your Honor, Angelina Dalles-Burnett, or Madame Red as she prefers, is a victim of psychological torment and manipulation. She had been threatened by Jack the Ripper and as any sane person would, she would obey them if someone she cherished was threatened to be harmed. To address the opposing side as one of the evidence I have collected, there is no point for her to lend medical instruments if the murderer himself had such skills and access to these tools. I had confirmed with my own eyes that such instruments are mass produced - cheaply- and accessible to many from an illegal seller. I have brought the instruments from the scene as evidence to your honour. The blood stains and DNA on it match the victim and the murderer.”

Down below, Tyrell approached the jury with the evidence. Ciel’s eyes widened in recognition. Those were the instruments she had demanded Madame Red to prod the body with, except since Madame was wearing gloves, there was no trace of her fingerprints on it. Camellia had insisted on taking care of the body and now he realized why.

“The murderer, my knights had personally taken care of, is an underground doctor who is also known as a rapist. Additionally, he was using Madame Red as an alibi, as in the news, it was already assumed that a man was doing it. Since Madame Red is a very capable doctor and some of his victims were already patients of hers, for consistency reasons he made sure that the remaining victims were also her patients and prostitutes. When did Madame Red start? When the Earl returned. As her only relative left, he used the boy as leverage and threatened her. But since she is still an accomplice and it is not her fault, I suggest that she should be stripped of her title and works as a servant for the Diose household. There shouldn’t be a problem since I can keep her in check and if she shows any signs of hostility or suspicious behaviour, I swear on the Crown that I will rid her on the spot. I’m sure there are no objections and that no one doubts the Dukedom’s abilities.” 

The court began to murmur, and Camellia sat back down in her seat. 

“You were amazing, My Lady!” Felicity whispered and Wendeline immediately shushed the girl. 

“If you look so elated, they will be suspicious of her.”

“Not that I think it’ll be a problem. This whole trial is so one sided that even without the physical evidence, it would be a sure win.” Sebastian smiled reassuringly, causing Felicity to start choking in awe of his handsome face. Felix sighed in embarrassment and had to guide his twin sister outside of the building not to disturb the court any further. 

“Are you sure that you want to fabricate all of this?” Ciel asked, listening to the Jury hitting his hammer to silence the court.

“Not all of this is fabricated. I’m also accepting the consequences. I’m not so empathetic that if she threatens my reputation I’d hesitate to get rid of her. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. This is more than enough, thank you Your Grace.” Ciel murmured softly, as the Jury announced his final judgement.

“Angelina Dalles-Burnett is innocent!”


End file.
